An Irish woman was admitted to hospital in Waterford today with a suspected case of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus.
The woman had recently returned to Ireland on a flight from Toronto when she became aware of a number of flu-like symptoms associated with the virus, including a high temperature and a cough.
The woman contacted her GP on her return and according to the South Eastern Health Board (SEHB) it was a number of days before the health board was advised by the doctor on Wednesday night of the possible SARS case.
She is currently being treated in Waterford Regional Hospital where her condition is reported to be improving.
The SARS position has been complicated by a coincidental strike over pay and conditions by doctors who would be involved in combating infectious diseases.
The Waterford case has been referred by the SEHB to the IMO Public Health Doctors' Strike Committee, which has agreed to allow six doctors suspend their strike action to enable them to do follow up contact tracing and monitoring.
Four of the seven public health doctors in the south-east and two from the picket-line outside the National Disease Surveillance Centre, Dublin travelled to Waterford today.
A number of doctors also left picket lines to treat the Chinese woman involved in this week's scare in Dublin. That woman, who was found not to have SARS last night after a series of medical tests, arrived in Dublin from the Far East last week, and later reported to St Vincent's Hospital.
Yesterday, the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, admitted contingency plans had not worked in the case of the woman, who comes from the region of China where SARS is believed to have originated.
The Fine Gael party leader, Mr Enda Kenny, called for the Dáil to be recalled next week over the virus.
He said recent pronouncements from the Minister for Health, Mr Martin did not inspire any confidence that the Government had a clear plan to deal with the potentially "catastrophic consequences" of an outbreak of the virus in Ireland.
"The handling of the suspected case in Dublin last weekend was very worrying as the relevant World Health Organisation guidelines were not adhered to," Mr Kenny claimed.
Labour's health spokeswoman, Ms Liz McManus, called for "amajor public information campaign to alert people to dangers of SARS and tocounter misleading rumours that have already begun to circulate."